The present invention relates, in general terms, to a rescue device and in particular a device for lifting or lowering a body of an injured person in case of emergency, such as a fire, cave-in or the like. The invention is not limited to such field of application but it is its primary objective to provide an emergency rescue device.
Prior art to which the present invention pertains is represented by issued U.S. Patents to which a brief reference will be made hereinafter. U.S. Pat. No. 1,916,208 issued July 4, 1933 to J. Diou, shows an extension ladder including two ladder sections slidably connected to each other and telescoping members slidable relative to each other and secured one to each of the two ladders. Means are provided for slidably relatively telescoping the members and held by the same. The means is adapted to be secured to the body of a person on the ladder. A similar safety grip for ladders is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,927,469 issued Sept. 19, 1933 to E. F. Plumpton. U.S. Pat. No. 2,175,748 issued Oct. 10, 1939 to J. S. Dunn shows a rescue apparatus of the type of a rigid platform which can be moved along a wall of a building or the like and to which a person being rescued is secured by straps. U.S. Pat. No. 2,311,070 issued Feb. 16, 1943 to E. R. Morando shows a cage-like device slidably mounted on a ladder, the ladder being also provided with a suitable winch for moving the cage of the life-saving device along the ladder thus being capable of lifting or lowering a body in the cage. U.S. Pat. No. 3,098,539 shows an aerial harness made of flexible belts or straps and adapted to be secured to a human body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,115,211 issued Dec. 24, 1963 to J. A. Ostrander, Jr. describes a platform which is movable along an associated ladder. U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,395 issued Oct. 31, 1972 to S. J. Theobald shows another embodiment of harness having straps interconnected by a central base section. U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,214 issued Feb. 24, 1981 to J. W. Miller shows a safety descent device whereby a person climbing a ladder is connected with a harness suspended from an overhead pulley, the pulley itself not being associated with the ladder arrangement. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,280 issued Sept. 5, 1978 to D. R. Devine et al shows a fall prevention safety climbing device for workmen ascending and descending ladders on tall structures, having a sleeve including a locking pawl adapted for attachment to a workman's safety belt.
In summary, the above prior art shows that it is recognized as a practical solution (a) to use a suitable harness or a safety belt for securement of a human body to a suspending device and (b) to use the device in combination with a ladder thus utilizing the ladder in a more versatile fashion.
From the standpoint of the present invention, the drawback of prior art as represented by the above patents is seen in cumbersome arrangement of the components of the known rescue devices which results in that the ladder can seldom be used for a purpose other than for the rescue operations. Relatively expensive and space consuming arrangement of rigid cages, boards or the like is also seen as a disadvantage not only from the standpoint of utilization of the ladder structure itself for ordinary, non-rescue operations, but also from the standpoint of storage.